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A non-chemical cure for apple maggots

If your apples are an inedible, mushy brown mess the problem is probably apple maggots.

Apple maggots hang out in the ground through the winter and then emerge as flies beginning midsummer. They lay eggs in the flesh of apples, the eggs hatch into maggots, and the maggots eat their way through the fruit. It's a serious, relatively recent problem in the Northwest, and there aren't many effective ways of dealing with the problem.

One new method that is effective: apple maggot barriers. The little sacks are made of nylon that slips over the fruit just like a sock. An Oregon grower got the idea after watching his girlfriend pull on her nylon footies. The nice folks at the Seattle Tree Fruit Society have used the barriers for three years and found them to be nearly 100 percent effective preventing apple maggot damage and 80 percent effective against coddling moth damage.

The Seattle Tree Fruit Society sells Maggot Barriers as a fundraiser and also to help backyard fruit growers protect their fruit without using pesticides. The Maggot Barriers cost $20.00 per bag of 300 for nonmembers or $15.00 per bag of 300 for STFS members.

You can find out more about the Seattle Tree Fruit Society or purchase Maggot Barriers at seattletreefruitsociety@hotmail.com.